Meet the Maker: Gabrielle Patterson

• A poet for the past 20 years, she added playwriting to her repertoire in 2013 with her original stage play "The Wizer of Odds" — an adaptation of L. Frank Baum's classic tale that made its OnyxFest debut in 2014.
• "Wizer was born from a poem that I had written about how women will pass up really good guys in the quest for the perfect man," she told Axios.

Flashback: Patterson adapted the poem into a play at the urging of a friend. But first, she had to teach herself how to do it.

• "I remember at the time I couldn't afford the book 'Playwriting For Dummies.' So I went to a downtown bookstore every day, sat in a corner and read that book while taking notes," she said. "Then I would go back home, and I would write."

What she's saying: Patterson said nothing inspires her more than the work of others.

• "I can find a poem in anything, and that will keep me up at night. Same goes for playwriting," she said. "There's a story in everything, so the gift is that it's wonderful to have that inspiration all the time. But the curse is that you can't possibly tell all of the stories or say all of the things that you want to say."

What she's making now: Another trip to the stage to share the "The Wizer of Odds" with Indianapolis.

• The play is wrapping a run at IF's Basile Theatre with shows 7:30pm Friday and Saturday; and 3pm Sunday.
• Tickets start at $22 for adults and $16 for children, students or seniors.